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Elgie R. Sims, Jr.

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Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
Democratic Party
Candidate, Illinois State Senate District 17
Illinois State Senate District 17
Tenure
2018 - Present
Term ends
2027
Years in position
8
Predecessor: Donne Trotter (D)
Prior offices:
Illinois House of Representatives District 34
Years in office: 2012 - 2018
Successor: Nicholas Smith (D)
Compensation
Base salary
$93,712/year
Per diem
$178/day
Elections and appointments
Last election
March 17, 2026
Next election
November 3, 2026
Education
Bachelor's
Illinois State University
Law
Loyola University, Chicago School of Law
Graduate
University of Illinois
Personal
Profession
Attorney
Contact
Official website
Official Facebook
Official X
Official Instagram
Official TikTok
Campaign Facebook
Personal Facebook
Personal Instagram
Personal LinkedIn

Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (Democratic Party) is a member of the Illinois State Senate, representing District 17. He assumed office in 2018. His current term ends on January 13, 2027.

Sims (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Illinois State Senate to represent District 17. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Democratic primary on March 17, 2026.

Biography

Sims earned his B.S. from Illinois State University, his M.P.A. from the University of Illinois, and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. His professional experience includes working as an attorney for the Law Offices of Elgie R. Sims, Jr.[1]

Committee assignments

2025-2026

Sims was assigned to the following committees:

2023-2024

Sims was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Sims was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Sims was assigned to the following committees:

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Illinois committee assignments, 2017
• Energy
• Executive
• Judiciary - Criminal, Chair
• Public Utilities
• Revenue & Finance, Vice chair

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Sims served on the following committees:

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Sims served on the following committees:

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2026

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2026

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for Illinois State Senate District 17

Incumbent Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D) and Frederick L. Walls (R) are running in the general election for Illinois State Senate District 17 on November 3, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D)
Image of Frederick L. Walls
Frederick L. Walls (R)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 17

Incumbent Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 17 on March 17, 2026.

Candidate
✔
Image of Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
Elgie R. Sims, Jr.

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Republican primary for Illinois State Senate District 17

Frederick L. Walls (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Illinois State Senate District 17 on March 17, 2026.

Candidate
✔
Image of Frederick L. Walls
Frederick L. Walls

There were no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Sims received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

2022

See also: Illinois State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Illinois State Senate District 17

Incumbent Elgie R. Sims, Jr. defeated Anthony Wilson in the general election for Illinois State Senate District 17 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D)
 
100.0
 
51,061
Image of Anthony Wilson
Anthony Wilson (Independent) (Write-in) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
24

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 51,085
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 17

Incumbent Elgie R. Sims, Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 17 on June 28, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
 
100.0
 
21,703

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 21,703
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Illinois State Senate District 17

No candidate advanced from the primary.

Candidate
%
Votes
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Rebecca Harms (Write-in)
 
100.0
 
100

Vote totals may be incomplete for this race.

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 100
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

State Senate

See also: 

General election
General election for Illinois State Senate District 17

Incumbent Elgie R. Sims, Jr. won election in the general election for Illinois State Senate District 17 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D)
 
100.0
 
66,268
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
1

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 66,269
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 17

Incumbent Donne Trotter advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois State Senate District 17 on March 20, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Donne Trotter
Donne Trotter
 
100.0
 
31,861

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 31,861
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

State House

See also: Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election
General election for Illinois House of Representatives District 34

Incumbent Nicholas Smith won election in the general election for Illinois House of Representatives District 34 on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Nicholas Smith (D)
 
100.0
 
31,939

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 31,939
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 34

Incumbent Elgie R. Sims, Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 34 on March 20, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
Elgie R. Sims, Jr.
 
100.0
 
14,926

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 14,926
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2016

Elections for the Illinois House of Representatives were held in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was November 30, 2015.[2]

Incumbent Elgie R. Sims, Jr. ran unopposed in the Illinois House of Representatives District 34 general election.[3][4]

Illinois House of Representatives, District 34 General Election, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Elgie R. Sims, Jr. Incumbent (unopposed)
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections

Incumbent Elgie R. Sims, Jr. ran unopposed in the Illinois House of Representatives District 34 Democratic primary.[5][6]

Illinois House of Representatives, District 34 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party Candidate
    Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Elgie R. Sims, Jr. Incumbent (unopposed)


2014

See also: Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2014

Elections for the Illinois House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on March 18, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 2, 2013. Incumbent Elgie R. Sims, Jr. was set to face Richard A. Wooten in the Democratic primary, but Wooten withdrew from the race on December 27, 2013, leaving Sims unopposed. Mark Ekhoff defeated Fatimah "Timah" Macklin in the Republican primary. Sims then defeated Ekhoff in the general election.[7][8][9][10]

Illinois House of Representatives District 34, General Election, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngElgie R. Sims, Jr. Incumbent 74.8% 26,098
     Republican Mark Ekhoff 25.2% 8,795
Total Votes 34,893


Illinois House of Representatives, District 34 Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMark Ekhoff 79% 2,600
Fatimah "Timah" Macklin 21% 691
Total Votes 3,291

2012

See also: Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2012

Sims won election in the 2012 election for Illinois House of Representatives District 34. Sims defeated Richard A. Wooten, Paul Steven Gregoire, Kyle Kasperek and Sandra J. Wortham in the Democratic primary on March 20, 2012, and was unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[11][12][13]

Illinois House of Representatives, District 34, General Election, 2012
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngElgie R. Sims, Jr. Incumbent 100% 41,423
Total Votes 41,423
Illinois House of Representatives, District 34 Democratic Primary, 2012
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngElgie R. Sims, Jr. 39.7% 5,938
Richard A. Wooten 23.8% 3,557
Paul Steven Gregoire 3.2% 479
Kyle Kasperek 14.3% 2,134
Sandra J. Wortham 19.1% 2,860
Total Votes 14,968

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Elgie R. Sims, Jr. has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Elgie R. Sims, Jr. asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Elgie R. Sims, Jr., click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 26,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.

You can ask Elgie R. Sims, Jr. to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing elgie@simsforillinois.com.

Email

2022

Elgie R. Sims, Jr. did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2012

Sims' campaign website listed the following issues:[14]

  • Economy
Excerpt: "Attract business and long term jobs to the state"
  • Education
Excerpt: "Retain our best and brightest teachers"
  • Public Safety
Excerpt: "Ensure police presence in high risk areas"

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Elgie R. Sims, Jr. campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2022Illinois State Senate District 17Won general$819,307 $453,694
2016Illinois House of Representatives, District 34Won $166,570 N/A**
2014Illinois House of Representatives, District 34Won $209,938 N/A**
2012Illinois State House, District 34Won $225,535 N/A**
Grand total$1,421,350 $453,694
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards, State legislative scorecards in Illinois

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2025.

  • Illinois Environmental Council — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.
  • The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2024.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2023.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2022.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2021.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2020.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2019.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2018.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2017.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2016.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2015.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2014.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2013.

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Illinois General Assembly in 2012.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Sims and his wife, Shivonne, have two children.[1]

See also

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External links

Candidate

Illinois State Senate District 17
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    Officeholder

    Illinois State Senate District 17
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Project Vote Smart, "Rep. Elgie Sims," accessed February 24, 2014
    2. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar," accessed November 30, 2015
    3. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate list: General Election - 11/8/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
    4. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election results, General election 2016," accessed December 15, 2016
    5. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Filing Search," accessed January 3, 2016
    6. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election Results: GENERAL PRIMARY - 3/15/2016," accessed August 8, 2016
    7. ↑ Illinois Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
    8. ↑ Illinois Board of Elections, "General Primary Election Official Canvass," April 18, 2014
    9. ↑ Illinois Secretary of State, "Official general election candidate list," accessed March 18, 2014
    10. ↑ The Chicago Tribune, "Results List (Unofficial)," accessed November 5, 2014
    11. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List," accessed December 5, 2011
    12. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Official 2012 Primary Results," accessed May 14, 2014
    13. ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, “Official Vote - November 6, 2012 General Election,” accessed January 18, 2013
    14. ↑ Campaign website, Home

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Donne Trotter (D)     		Illinois State Senate District 17
    2018-Present    		 Succeeded by
    -
    Preceded by
    -     		Illinois House of Representatives District 34
    2012-2018    		 Succeeded by
    Nicholas Smith (D)


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